The lymphatic system is responsible for collecting the fluid left between the cells and returning it to the circulation. When that system struggles — because of a sedentary lifestyle, hormonal changes, heat, recovery from surgery or many hours on your feet — fluid accumulates in the tissue and brings swelling, a feeling of heaviness and a less defined contour.
At Alta Armonía manual lymphatic drainage is carried out using the Renata França method, a technique of firm, rhythmic manoeuvres that follows the natural path of the lymph towards the nodes where it drains. It is not a deep-tissue massage or a strength massage: it is a precision technique in which direction, rhythm and cadence of movement are what matter.
Its usual indications are fluid retention, swollen legs, a feeling of heaviness, supporting body protocols and recovery after certain types of surgery, always where there is a medical indication for it.
Manual lymphatic drainage is one of the body aesthetic medicine treatments at Alta Armonía in El Albir and one of the techniques used in fat-reducing and anti-cellulite treatments when fluid retention is the weight of the problem. It can be combined with pressotherapy, which pursues the same objective mechanically. The schedule is set at the first consultation.
1. Assessment. The case is reviewed and contraindications ruled out. Drainage mobilises fluid, and there are medical situations in which that is not appropriate.
2. Preparation. The session is carried out on a treatment couch, with the skin uncovered in the area to be treated and oil or cream for glide.
3. Manoeuvres. The Renata França method is characterised by quick manoeuvres with firm pressure, different from classic drainage, always in the direction of lymphatic return and respecting the path of the nodes.
4. At the end. It is normal to feel lightness in the area and to need the toilet in the following hours: that is the sign that the mobilised fluid is being eliminated. We recommend drinking water.
The number of sessions and their frequency are set at the first consultation, because recovery after surgery is not the same as seasonal retention.
Heavy legs and swelling, especially at the end of the day or in the heat, which here lasts half the year.
Retention linked to hormonal changes, to pregnancy or to long periods standing or sitting.
As support within a body plan, when what predominates is the circulatory component rather than the fatty one. In that case it is combined with pressotherapy or integrated into the protocol of fat-reducing and anti-cellulite treatments.
What it is not: a weight-loss treatment. It mobilises fluid, not fat, and that distinction is what prevents mistaken expectations.
If you would like to know who is on the other side before deciding, here we introduce the centre and the team behind it.
A technique with its own protocol and specific training, recognised for its work along the lymphatic pathway with firm manoeuvres and a set rhythm.
Manual drainage allows pressure, rhythm and route to be adapted to each body and each moment, something no automatic equipment adjusts in the same way.
It is the indicated treatment when the reason for the consultation is fluid retention and the feeling of tired legs.
It works as a complement to other techniques at the centre within the plan set out at the assessment.
It is a manual lymphatic drainage technique with its own protocol and training, characterised by firm manoeuvres and a marked rhythm that follow the path of the lymph towards the nodes. It is carried out by a practitioner specifically trained in the method.
In its aim and in its technique. A conventional massage works on the muscles; lymphatic drainage works on the lymphatic system, along a specific route and at a set rhythm. More intensity does not make it more effective.
It depends on the reason for the consultation and on how each person responds. It is a treatment with a cumulative effect, and the plan is determined at the initial assessment along with the rest of your body protocol.
Yes. It is frequently combined with pressotherapy and with cellulite and remodelling protocols, at the intervals set at the assessment.
The pressure and the rhythm. Compared with classic drainage, with its soft, slow manoeuvres, this method works with quicker manoeuvres and firm pressure. The sensation is different and is usually described as more intense, although it remains a well-tolerated treatment.
No. Drainage mobilises retained fluid, not fat. You may notice a reduction in volume from the elimination of that fluid, but that is not weight loss and does not behave like it.
No. pressotherapy is mechanical compression through air chambers; manual drainage is carried out by a practitioner with specific manoeuvres and reaches areas and nuances the equipment cannot. In many plans they are combined.
